Not Quite the Plan
by 14hpgirl19
Summary: "It was not supposed to happen this way." In which Phil Coulson's plan for Melinda May doesn't quite work out.


**Starts off kinda angsty, but gets pretty fluffy near the end. I hope you enjoy!**

It was not supposed to happen this way.

He had planned it all out. A nice dinner, just the two of them, up in one of the rooms they used for storage. Skye had helped him clear it out for the occasion. He had given everyone strict instructions not to interrupt unless the world was falling apart. He had set out his outfit, then changed it when Skye told him no, then changed it again because he felt self-conscious. He even went off base to find those flowers she liked.

And then it all fell apart.

Coulson leaned back in the hard chair and let out a long exhale. He had been sitting there for two hours now, and he knew he would be sitting there for several more.

Before him, Melinda May, his best friend, his partner, the love of his life, was stretched out on a hospital bed. A heart monitor on the opposite side told him what her appearance did not, the steady beeps being his one source of comfort.

She looked so pale. And so still.

Coulson's thumb traced lazy circles on the back of her hand. His gaze never moved from her face, as though she would open her eyes at any second and give him one of her grins. Then everything would be alright. Everything would be fixed.

But that wasn't going to happen. With the way things stood now, he didn't even know if she would wake up.

May had been on a mission with Simmons and Bobbi. Simple op, just a recovery of some alien artifact. Coulson didn't even remember at this point. It didn't matter in the long run. The three of them started to head back to the quinjet when a bomb had gone off. A security measure put in place by those who were keeping the artifact hidden. Simmons and Bobbi were a safe enough distance away, but May had been caught in the blast's radius, having stayed back an additional second to make sure the site was all clear.

She suffered a severe blow to the head and numerous shrapnel-inflicted injuries. One in particular had lodged itself in her stomach, causing major blood loss. The doctors informed Coulson that she had flat lined twice during surgery.

Now she was in a coma, and the chances of her waking were very low. With every passing moment, they both got better and worse. Better because she was approaching the window the doctors gave for her to come out of the coma, worse because the longer she stayed under, the closer she was to remaining that way forever.

Coulson pulled his phone from his suit pocket with his free hand. There were a few texts from Skye waiting, asking if there was any change. She knew there wouldn't be, but she still asked. It almost made him smile, how much she cared for May. On another day, in another situation, he would have let one spread across his face. But right now, he had little to smile about.

As he returned his phone to the pocket, his hand brushed up against something he had been carrying for weeks now. A simple, velvet box. And within it, a simple, perfect diamond ring.

"Please, Melinda," he whispered. "You didn't even let me ask. You can't leave me without letting me ask." He bit his lip, trying to steady himself. "Skye already offered to plan everything. She assumes you'll say yes. I think she wants to be a part of your bridal party, if you have one. Would you want a bridal party? I know you didn't get one the first time, so maybe now you do."

He squeezed her hand. "I don't want the ceremony to be at the Playground, but if you want it that would be fine. I just thought somewhere more intimate would be nicer. Somewhere that's special, not where we live and work. We'll have to work out the guest list, and that would take some serious discussion. Like, if we invite Maria and Nick, we'll need to invite Nat and Clint, which would be tough since they don't know I'm alive. But I think we could work around that."

He leaned forward, resting his chin on the bed. "I wonder if you'll wear a dress. I know you hate dressing up, but Mel, you would look so beautiful. I mean, you're already beautiful and you'd look beautiful in anything, but… I dunno, a gown would really be something. Not that I want to pressure you or anything.

"Mel…" He gazed at her unresponsive form, a tightness in his chest developing. "Please wake up. I don't think I can make it without you. You're my… you're my everything. Just come back to me."

* * *

It was a miracle, the doctors said. May woke up three days later, very cross and in a lot of pain. She had opened her eyes to find Coulson fast asleep in the chair beside her, his hand in hers and his head resting next to her hip. Any anguish she had been feeling evaporated momentarily at the sight of him.

Her recovery would be slow. She was on bed rest for three weeks, and even beyond that she was not allowed in the field until doctors cleared her. That was when her bad mood returned, and it didn't disappear until she was released from the hospital. Coulson insisted she stay in his room, which was really a formality for the doctors as his room was already _their_ room.

She was still very disgruntled about her position, but she always brightened whenever Coulson joined her, which was a considerable amount of time. He could tell when she reached peak boredom, and that was when he slipped into bed with her and let her curl up against his side. Sometimes they would talk, telling stories about their childhoods or the rare missions they did without the other. Other times they would just lay there in silence, enjoying each other's company, silently thanking whatever deity was up there for giving them more time together.

Eventually, May was let off bed rest, and she resumed her duties as SHIELD's deputy director. She monitored missions from the base, as she still wasn't cleared for combat. Coulson knew it killed her to see him leave for ops without her, but every time he boarded the jet, he gave her a kiss and a promise to return.

Aside from May's lack of participation in the field, things were beginning to return to normal (their version of normal, at least). Coulson never brought up the box that was burning a hole in his pocket, wanting to wait until May was fully healed so he could go through with this plan.

Of course, this was Melinda May, and she never went along with anything he planned.

"What's this?" she asked one night in their bedroom. Coulson looked up from the file he was reading and froze. She was holding his suit jacket in one hand and the box in another. Setting the sheaf of paper aside, he cursed himself. He had asked for his phone, and had been too engrossed in the file to remember it was in the same pocket as the ring.

"Umm…" he stalled, scrambling to think of the best response. May raised an eyebrow.

"Phil?"

"Mmm?"

"Is this what I think it is?"

Coulson swallowed. "That depends on what you think it is."

May set his jacket down on a chest of drawers and sat down on the edge of the bed, right at Coulson's feet. His heart thudded madly as she raised the lid.

"Oh, Phil…" she said softly.

He climbed out of bed and moved in front of her. Cupping her hands in his, he lowered himself down to one knee.

"This wasn't how I planned it," he admitted. "We were going to have a private dinner, and I was going to give you flowers, and I'd have this whole sappy speech that you say you hate but really love…"

"How long have you had this?" she asked, her thumb reaching up to play with the diamond.

"A couple of months now. I was going to ask you a few weeks ago, but then you were caught in that ex-" He cut himself off. May raised her gaze to meet his.

"We always did have the worst timing," she commented, a rueful smile appearing.

"I want to change that."

May straightened, giving him the box.

"Then ask me."

Coulson licked his lips, suddenly very nervous. He was fairly certain of what her answer would be, but he couldn't get ahead of himself.

"Melinda Qiaolian May," he started, his stomach jolting a little when she grinned. "You have been my best friend for so long. You will always be my best friend. You're the only one who really knows me, who has always stood by my side, who is-"

"Phil, get to the point," she said, her eyes shining.

"I love you. Will you marry me?"

A giggle escaped her, one he hadn't heard in a very long time. He vowed right then and there to make sure they happened more often.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you." Her voice was quiet, but filled with love.

Coulson slid the ring onto her finger, admiring the way it looked there. He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Not as much as I love you."

She leaned forward, winding her arms around his neck. She captured his lips with her own, sighing when he opened up to her. Eventually she slid off the bed and settled onto his lap.

"I wouldn't be so sure."


End file.
